


Reprieve

by universal_reno



Category: Star Wars - All Media Types, Star Wars Sequel Trilogy
Genre: Anxiety, Armitage Hux Has Feelings, Armitage Hux Has Issues, Armitage Hux Needs A Hug, Brendol Hux's A+ Parenting, But not force choked so that's something, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Hux just cannot with his life sometimes, M/M, Or as sweet as they can be, Panic Attacks, Protective Kylo Ren, Someone still got punched, Sweet Kylux
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-01-13
Updated: 2020-01-13
Packaged: 2021-02-19 10:14:39
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,225
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22242799
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/universal_reno/pseuds/universal_reno
Summary: Some days are worse than others for Hux, but some days Ren is there to help
Relationships: Armitage Hux/Ben Solo | Kylo Ren, Armitage Hux/Kylo Ren
Comments: 3
Kudos: 155





	Reprieve

**Author's Note:**

> Never expected I'd Kylux once let alone twice. Set early in their relationship, because I'm a sick bastard who adores the thought of it starting out almost decent and spiraling into a mutually destructive clusterfuck as Kylo becomes more of an abusive psycho and Hux becomes more paranoid and backstabbing. Fun times.

There were times when Hux regretted his father’s murder. Not the death itself, but the method. It had been the smart way. The necessary way. With one stroke he’d destroyed the greatest obstacle in his life and bound Phasma to him with the sort of absolute loyalty that could only come from shared culpability. But in so doing he’d deprived himself of the satisfaction of delivering the killing blow.

On more than one occasion he’d tried to imagine how it would’ve felt. Brendol would have been afraid, he decided. He pictured how that fear would’ve looked when he drove a knife into his throat. It gave him a measure of twisted comfort on the days when even the most mundane experiences triggered wave after wave of flashbacks that tore at his composure and made it impossible to concentrate.

Those days had been happening more often since he’d been pulled into Snoke’s orbit. The Supreme Leader made no secret that Hux’s fate was entirely in his hands. General or not his career and continued existence depended upon remaining in the creepy old bastard’s good graces, which was complicated by the fact that Hux wasn’t entirely sure how he’d landed there in the first place. More often than not it seemed that nothing he did was good enough to avoid being reprimanded, and having the Force itself turned against him as punishment was more horrifying than anything his father could’ve dreamed up.

It was his own fault, he mused as he sat huddled in the corner of his quarters, too rattled to sleep despite having just come off a ten hour shift. He should’ve kept his head down, but he’d let his ambition win out over his patience and his cunning and now whatever happened to him was largely out of his control. He ground his fists against his eyes, willing his brain to just shut up for five voiddamned minutes so he could breathe. No such luck.

The door slid open without warning and he flinched, trying to press himself back from the stark light that spilled in from the corridor. Only one other person had the code to enter his quarters. Ren was probably another terrible mistake, but he was a mistake who’d seen him far worse than he was at the moment and who Hux in turn had seen gripped by panic attacks far worse than the one he knew he was on the verge of having. Not that it did much to help the instinctive shame he felt at being seen at anything other than his best.

The door closed again and the light from the hall was replaced by the glare of the ones directly overhead. Hux tried to drag himself up but the best he could manage was curling toward the wall to hide his face. He didn’t want to see Ren’s expression when he realized the state he was in.

“Damn it! Lights 50.” The glare dimmed and Hux heard quick footsteps approaching. A moment later Ren’s hands were on his shoulders, then sliding up to cradle his face as he tried to get a better look at him.

“Hux? Are you with me?” Ren’s voice was thick with worry. He was always so gentle when they were alone together. Or at least he always had been. Their last fight had come to blows and Hux knew that was his fault as well.

A tremor ran through him at the memory, drawing a quiet sound of distress from Ren. 

“Easy, love. I need you to breathe for me. Like I showed you, remember?”

Like he’d shown him. Because even though Ren’s demons were a thousand times worse than his own he knew how to claw his way out of their grip. Because Ren wasn’t weak. Ren could manipulate the Force. He wasn’t a powerless tool with no say in his own life and…

“Hux!”

He didn’t want to make Ren angry again. He focused on that one fear, analyzing it, picking it apart down to the molecular level until the concept of fear itself became abstract and meaningless.

Someone was gasping. A horrible choked sound like a man whose throat had been burned half shut by a blaster bolt. As Hux dragged himself back toward reality he realized it was him. He concentrated, tried to remember what Ren had told him about focusing on how the air felt against his face and picturing that same air filling his lungs.

When he finally forced his eyes open he found himself blinded by the dark curtain of Ren’s hair. Ren was holding him, one hand against the back of his head and the other around his waist pulling their bodies together. It felt warm. Safe, though he knew Ren was anything but.

“Ren?” It was little more than a dazed whisper, but as close as they were it was enough.

“I’m here. It’s alright.” Ren’s lips brushed against his forehead in a chaste kiss.

Hux allowed himself to relax as best he could, knowing Ren could take his weight. Just as he’d been able to take Ren’s the time he’d found him practically catatonic after an especially cruel training exercise with Snoke. He’d pulled him up from the miserable heap he’d collapsed into on the floor of his own quarters and sat with him for hours until he was lucid enough to look after himself.

It was Ren’s turn to look after him now and he seemed surprisingly willing to do it. He gave Hux a few minutes to collect himself, then helped him up onto the bed and curled up behind him.

“I’m sorry” Hux said, bringing his hands up to cover Ren’s where they were clasped over his chest.

“You don’t have to be. You did the same for me, remember?”

“For before, I mean. Fighting serves neither of our interests. We’re better off as allies.”

As much as they were at each other’s throats in public Hux knew his end wouldn’t be long in coming if Ren truly turned his back on him. Snoke’s power wouldn’t last forever. It was an unspoken but mutual understanding between them, treasonous as it may have been. Neither was content to spend the rest of his life as a pawn, but neither could control the massive apparatus of the First Order alone. Not yet, anyway.

He felt Ren’s sigh against the back of his neck followed by a gentle caress across his cheek. The skin there was as pale and smooth as all the rest now, with no hint of the bruised, swollen mess it had been after their fight. He was lucky Ren had only used his fists; luckier still that he’d returned to his side and healed him once he’d had a chance to cool off.

“We’ve been over this already. It was foolish and both our faults. Let’s not talk about it anymore.”

Hux nodded, then turned in Ren’s arms so he could kiss him. Ren kissed back but caught his hands when he moved to pull up his tunic. Not that he was in the mood for anything, but he wanted to pay Ren back for his kindness. Prove his loyalty with the hope of securing continued loyalty in return.

“Not now. You need rest. I’ll watch over you.”

For now, at least, Hux knew it was the truth.


End file.
